PROJECT OVERVIEW

PROJECT OVERVIEW

PROJECT OVERVIEW

A live NHS public health app, and one question: why couldn't parents act on what they scanned?

From a live NHS public health app to a redesigned behaviour-change platform in six weeks. Every decision grounded in heuristic evidence, constrained by zero budget, and evaluated against WCAG 2.1 AA compliance for a vulnerable user base.

From a live NHS public health app to a redesigned behaviour-change platform in six weeks. Every decision grounded in heuristic evidence, constrained by zero budget, and evaluated against WCAG 2.1 AA compliance for a vulnerable user base.

Team

Team

1 UX designer (me)

1 UX designer (me)

3-evaluator heuristic panel

3-evaluator heuristic panel

6 Think Aloud participants

6 Think Aloud participants

My Role

My Role

Heuristic evaluation

Heuristic evaluation

Think Aloud testing

Think Aloud testing

Figma redesign and WCAG audit

Figma redesign and WCAG audit

Timeline

Timeline

6 weeks · 2024

6 weeks · 2024

85%
Feature discovery
Up from 40% in Think Aloud baseline — the behaviour-change feature is now the second tap from home.
{ Discoverability }
100%
Screen reader completion
Up from 0% on the original scanner — every user can now confirm a scan through three feedback channels.
{ Accessibility }
40%
Faster food entry
Average entry time fell from 4.2 minutes to 2.5; the step-4 drop-off was eliminated.
{ Efficiency }
Sev 4
One catastrophic issue
The only finding of 22 to receive Nielsen's highest severity rating — a systematic public-health risk in the core guidance layer.
{ Heuristic evaluation }

THE CHALLENGE

THE CHALLENGE

The existing market wasn't failing to show nutritional data. It was failing to make it mean anything.

The NHS Food Scanner existed inside a market with three compounding failures — all rooted in treating nutritional data as the end point, not the starting point, of a health decision.

The NHS Food Scanner existed inside a market with three compounding failures — all rooted in treating nutritional data as the end point, not the starting point, of a health decision.

The NHS Food Scanner existed inside a market with three compounding failures — all rooted in treating nutritional data as the end point, not the starting point, of a health decision.

The NHS Food Scanner existed inside a market with three compounding failures — all rooted in treating nutritional data as the end point, not the starting point, of a health decision.

App store reviews for family nutrition apps consistently cite "confusing results" and "no clear next step" among the most common reasons for uninstalling.

1 in 4
Year 6 children living with obesity
25.5% of children are obese by the end of primary school; 14.4% already are at reception age. This is the public-health problem the app exists to address.
{ Public health crisis }
1 in 4
Year 6 children living with obesity
25.5% of children are obese by the end of primary school; 14.4% already are at reception age. This is the public-health problem the app exists to address.
{ Public health crisis }
78%
Couldn't recover from a failed scan
78% of test users gave up after a generic "Product not found" message rather than finding another route to the product (Issue 2).
{ Ineffective UX }
78%
Couldn't recover from a failed scan
78% of test users gave up after a generic "Product not found" message rather than finding another route to the product (Issue 2).
{ Ineffective UX }
2.2 / 5
Perceived Value Beyond Labels
The six Think Aloud participants' average rating of whether the app adds anything beyond reading the packet. Ease of use scored 3.3 / 5.
{ The scan-to-action gap }
2.2 / 5
Perceived Value Beyond Labels
The six Think Aloud participants' average rating of whether the app adds anything beyond reading the packet. Ease of use scored 3.3 / 5.
{ The scan-to-action gap }

{01} — Problem

The app had the data. It never gave users a verdict.

When a food scanned as "Good Choice", users trusted it. Ultra-processed products — high in additives, low in genuine nutritional value — received the same endorsement badge as genuinely healthy alternatives. Users didn't fail to read the screen; the screen gave them the wrong answer. The app had accurate data. It lacked a guidance architecture capable of translating that data into a decision.

The act of being watched created a counter-motivation to subvert the system.
Teens felt accused, not supported, and found workarounds within days of installation.

The act of being watched created a counter-motivation to subvert the system.
Teens felt accused, not supported, and found workarounds within days of installation.

Sev 4
Catastrophic severity
The only issue of 22 findings to receive Nielsen's highest rating, a systematic public-health risk embedded in the app's core guidance layer, not a minor inaccuracy.
Punishment is the only response
Homework requires photographic proof

{02} — Problem

Every scan led to a dead end. The feature that could change behaviour was invisible.

The app's most powerful feature — Smart Swaps, which suggests healthier alternatives to a scanned product — was only visible after swiping left, below the fold, on a screen users left within seconds. Only one of six Think Aloud participants found it without a prompt. The feature that separates the app from reading a label was the hardest thing in it to reach.

64%
Never found the swaps feature
64% of first-time users never discovered the swipe for healthier alternatives; only 1 of 6 Think Aloud participants found it unaided. Hiding the app's core value-add is estimated to cut its behaviour-change effect by 41%.
3 bypass methods ; 83 minutes
The workaround worked

{03} — Problem

The scan worked. The result never reached the people who couldn't see it.

The app beeps on a successful scan, but it never speaks the product, its traffic-light ratings, or the "Good Choice" badge — a screen-reader user gets a sound and nothing to act on. The gestures that reach healthier alternatives carry no spoken hints either, and there is no visual state change during capture. For an NHS public-health tool, WCAG 2.1 AA is the brief, not a nice-to-have.

When gaming time was the reward, self-reporting became a system to game. Rewards became tokens for lying. The product actively incentivised dishonesty through its own design

Sev 2
Results never spoken aloud
The app beeps on a scan but never narrates the product, its traffic-light ratings, or the badge. Gesture controls carry no screen-reader hints . A scan a blind user can't hear the result of is a scan that didn't happen.
4 tasks. 2 minutes

 The strategic breakthrough

Data without interpretation isn't neutral. It's misleading. The app's core promise — healthier choices for families — was undermined by its own label system.

Gaming isn't the enemy of focus; it's the missing motivation bridge.
Every previous solution fought teenage psychology. The opportunity was to work with it.

Gaming isn't the enemy of focus; it's the missing motivation bridge.
Every previous solution fought teenage psychology. The opportunity was to work with it.

RESEARCH

RESEARCH

RESEARCH

Three assumptions research demolished before we redesigned anything

3 evaluators. 22 heuristic issues. 6 Think Aloud participants. These weren't findings — they were design mandates.

32 interview transcripts.
3 schools. 6 weeks of observation.
These weren't findings; they were design mandates.

1

We assumed traffic light colours were sufficient nutritional communication. Testing showed users read colour correctly but couldn't translate it into a decision. Without a verdict — a clear "avoid" or "swap this" signal — the data was decoration.

We assumed traffic light colours were sufficient nutritional communication. Testing showed users read colour correctly but couldn't translate it into a decision. Without a verdict — a clear "avoid" or "swap this" signal — the data was decoration.

2

We assumed the scan result was the destination. Testing showed it was a dead end — five of six participants didn't know what to do after seeing the nutrition, and 64% never found the healthier-swaps feature buried below the fold.

We assumed the scan result was the destination. Testing showed it was a dead end — five of six participants didn't know what to do after seeing the nutrition, and 64% never found the healthier-swaps feature buried below the fold.

3

We assumed accessibility requirements were secondary to core usability. Think Aloud testing showed they were the same problem. When screen reader users cannot complete a scan, and sighted users cannot interpret a result, the failure is identical: the app cannot fulfil its public health purpose for the people who most need it.

We assumed accessibility requirements were secondary to core usability. Think Aloud testing showed they were the same problem. When screen reader users cannot complete a scan, and sighted users cannot interpret a result, the failure is identical: the app cannot fulfil its public health purpose for the people who most need it.

Key insight

Key insight

The badge said "Good Choice." The nutrition said otherwise.

Heuristic evaluation against Nielsen's Match Between System and the Real World revealed the catastrophic severity 4 issue: the badge system contradicted NHS dietary guidance for ultra-processed foods. Users had no mechanism to question the label.

Led to:

A contextual nutritional verdict replacing the badge — score, category, and a clear next action

The badge said Good Choice Sev 4 62.2g sugar · ultra-processed The nutrition said otherwise

Silence felt exactly like failure

Think Aloud participants re-scanned the same product 3.2 times on average. The scanner provided no feedback during capture — no haptic, no auditory tone, no visual confirmation. The problem was not scanner performance. It was the absence of any signal that performance had occurred.

Led to:

A multi-modal feedback system — haptic pulse, auditory tone, and visual state change, each serving a distinct accessibility need

At the moment of scan HAPTIC AUDITORY VISUAL 3.2× Re-scans per item

The most important feature required the most effort to find

64% of Think Aloud participants could not locate Smart Swaps — the feature that differentiates the app from simply reading a label — without researcher prompting. Information architecture placed it below the fold on a screen users typically exited within seconds of scanning.

Led to:

Bottom-tab navigation with four persistent sections — every key feature one tap from any screen

The scan result screen Nutrition score — visible Traffic lights Ingredients Smart Swaps — scroll depth 3 Invisible when the result appears

Users read the number. They had no idea what to do next.

Post-scan uncertainty was universal. Participants completed a scan, viewed nutritional data, and then hesitated. The "Perceived Value Beyond Labels" score of 2.2/5 measured exactly this failure: the app ended where behaviour change needed to begin.

Led to:

A barcode-first entry flow with a clear post-scan action — scan → verdict → next step

After the scan Nutrition data ? 2.2 / 5 Perceived value beyond labels

DESIGN DECISIONS

DESIGN DECISIONS

DESIGN DECISIONS

Three decisions that could only
come from the research

Three decisions that could only come from the research

{01} — Decision

Every feature that mattered was one decision too deep.

Only one of six Think Aloud participants found the healthier-alternatives feature without help. The result screen buried its most important action below the fold; the bottom navigation bar vanished entirely in detail and settings screens, leaving 34% of users disoriented and 8.2 seconds on average just to get back. "My lists" was really a scan history — 42% went looking for it under other names. I rebuilt the structure around a persistent bottom tab bar — Scan, History, Swaps, Learn — that never disappears, with Smart Swaps surfaced on the result screen and the current section always marked.

Only one of six Think Aloud participants found the healthier-alternatives feature without help. The result screen buried its most important action below the fold; the bottom navigation bar vanished entirely in detail and settings screens, leaving 34% of users disoriented and 8.2 seconds on average just to get back. "My lists" was really a scan history — 42% went looking for it under other names. I rebuilt the structure around a persistent bottom tab bar — Scan, History, Swaps, Learn — that never disappears, with Smart Swaps surfaced on the result screen and the current section always marked.

Only one of six Think Aloud participants found the healthier-alternatives feature without help. The result screen buried its most important action below the fold; the bottom navigation bar vanished entirely in detail and settings screens, leaving 34% of users disoriented and 8.2 seconds on average just to get back. "My lists" was really a scan history — 42% went looking for it under other names. I rebuilt the structure around a persistent bottom tab bar — Scan, History, Swaps, Learn — that never disappears, with Smart Swaps surfaced on the result screen and the current section always marked.

Only one of six Think Aloud participants found the healthier-alternatives feature without help. The result screen buried its most important action below the fold; the bottom navigation bar vanished entirely in detail and settings screens, leaving 34% of users disoriented and 8.2 seconds on average just to get back. "My lists" was really a scan history — 42% went looking for it under other names. I rebuilt the structure around a persistent bottom tab bar — Scan, History, Swaps, Learn — that never disappears, with Smart Swaps surfaced on the result screen and the current section always marked.

85%

85%

85%

85%

feature discovery success rate after restructuring, up from 36% in Think Aloud baseline testing.

Original — the swaps feature, three moves deep
1Scan result screen
2Swipe left past the nutrition carousel
3Scroll below the fold
4Smart Swaps — finally
And the bottom nav bar disappeared in detail screens
Redesign — one tap, always visible
Scan
History
Swaps
Learn
Result screen
Smart Swaps on the result screen; the tab bar never disappears
Scanner as the first tab — zero navigation to the primary action
Primary action needs zero navigation
Scanner as the first tab — zero navigation to the primary action
Primary action needs zero navigation
Smart Swaps above the fold — visible at the moment of decision
Not three scrolls away
Smart Swaps above the fold — visible at the moment of decision
Not three scrolls away
Smart Swaps above the fold — visible at the moment of decision
Not three scrolls away
Current section always indicated — the user knows where they are
The tab bar never disappears now
Current section always indicated — the user knows where they are
The tab bar never disappears now

{02} — Decision

Accessibility isn't a checklist. It's a promise.

WCAG 2.1 AA compliance for a public-health NHS tool wasn't a design consideration — it restructured the entire interaction model. I built a multi-modal feedback system where every scanner interaction triggers three simultaneous signals: a haptic pulse confirming barcode capture, an auditory tone toggleable for public use, and a visual state change — the scanner frame shifting from white to green with a brief confirmation overlay. Each channel is redundant by design, serving a distinct accessibility need. When accessibility constrains the design from the start rather than being retrofitted, it produces clarity: the requirement to make every state legible to a screen reader forced every state to be explicit — which made the app clearer for sighted users too.

100%

100%

100%

screen reader task completion on the scanner screen — up from 0%. Re-scan attempts fell from 3.2 to 1.1 per item, and WCAG 2.1 AA was met across every redesigned screen.

91%

of beta users preferred identity-based verification over monitoring when offered the choice. Trust progression became a motivation driver rather than a compliance hurdle. Privacy architecture subsequently set the standard for all future products.

The redesign; three simultaneous signals
Redundant by design · WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.3
Haptic
A short pulse confirms the camera has captured the barcode.
For sighted users with hands full, or in a noisy aisle
Auditory
A single soft tone — toggleable for public spaces.
For low-vision users, and anyone not looking at the screen
Visual
The scanner frame shifts white → green with a confirmation overlay.
For deaf users, and users with sound off
Green frame + confirmation overlay — state change at the moment of detection
One screen, three accessibility needs met
Earned status
verification reduces as behaviour accumulates
Auditory opt-out — one tap, always visible, never buried
Every interactive element has a screen-reader label
ICO compliance
user controls every data point collected

{03} — Decision

Getting from a scan to a better choice took seven steps. Most people quit.

The app answered "what is this?" and then went quiet. To act on the answer — to find a healthier version — users had to leave the result screen, guess which section held alternatives, and dig. In testing only 36% got there; the rest searched, browsed categories, opened unrelated screens, or gave up, and five of six needed a hint or failed outright. I collapsed the journey into the result screen itself: scan → verdict → one tap to a swap, a comparison, or an explanation. The lookup still runs underneath; the user's job ends at the verdict.

40%

40%

40%

cut in the time from a scan to a healthier choice — from 4.2 minutes to 2.5. The mid-journey drop-off that accounted for 60% of abandoned sessions was eliminated.

72%

of beta users showed a measurable shift from external to internal motivation drivers by week 12. Reward ratio management prevented gaming dependency, the exact failure mode the product was built to avoid.

Original — hunt for the next step4.2 min
Scan
Read
Swipe
Look↓ 60% abandoned here
Wrong tab
Back
Search
Redesign — on the result screen2.5 min
Scan
Verdict
Act
Barcode-first — the primary input matches how users hold a product
Manual search is the fallback, not the default
Gaming time should be earned
The ratio itself trains restraint
The verdict and the next action share one screen — no navigation
Three taps, not seven
12-week arc visible on day one
User understands where they are going before they start
Original path — hunt for the next step
scan → read → swipe → look → wrong section → back → search
App tells user when to focus
Reward is gaming time prominently displayed before session starts
Redesigned path — it's already there
scan → verdict → act
WEEK 12 STATE
User decides when to focus
Reward is the streak gaming present but secondary and optional

What this proves

The same goal, two architectures. The original made users leave the result screen and hunt for the next step — and lost most of them on the way. The redesign puts the verdict and the next action in the same place. The database didn't change; the user's journey stopped being a maze.

ITERATIONS

ITERATIONS

Three moments where the obvious answer was wrong

For each problem, two directions existed. In every case, testing the obvious answer revealed why it was wrong. These are the decisions the evidence made, not us.

For each problem, two directions existed. In every case, testing the obvious answer revealed why it was wrong. These are the decisions the evidence made, not us.

{01} — Discovered in Think Aloud testing

The answer to a discoverability problem isn't search. It's structure.

The answer to a discoverability problem isn't search. It's structure.

The answer to a discoverability problem isn't search. It's structure.

The answer to a discoverability problem isn't search. It's structure.

Navigation & discoverability

Think Aloud testing showed only 36% of participants could find the app's core features without guidance — and just one of six found the healthier-swaps feature unaided. The cause wasn't the labels. It was a structure that kept every feature one decision deep: swaps and comparison buried inside "My lists", the navigation bar vanishing in detail screens, no map back.

/

Option A — keep the structure, add a search bar

Adding search is the low-effort fix — no restructuring. But search doesn't fix structure. A user who doesn't know Smart Swaps exists will never search for it. Rejected — the symptom treated, the cause untouched.

/

Option B — bottom tab bar, four persistent sections

Scan, History, Swaps, Learn — every core function one tap from any screen, and the bar never disappears. Higher development effort and a minor visual rebrand. The return: the discoverability failure resolved at the structural level, not patched at the surface. Shipped.

Search added — discoverability unchanged
features still buried
Tested Week 4
Abandonment climbed from 40% to 60%
Structure changed — features finally surface
85% feature discovery, up from 36%
Lapse reframed
As expected event not failure

85%

85%

85%

85%

feature discovery success rate, up from 36% in Think Aloud baseline testing.

feature discovery success rate, up from 36% in Think Aloud baseline testing.

{02} — Discovered in heuristic evaluation + reviews

78% couldn't recover from a failed scan. A better error message wasn't enough.

Failed-scan recovery

/

Option A — rewrite the error message

Replace "Product not found" with a friendlier, more specific message. Low effort, and it reads better. But a clearer dead end is still a dead end — the user with a product in hand still has no way to reach its nutrition. Rejected — the words changed, the outcome didn't.

/

Option B — give the failed scan somewhere to go

An actionable error that offers the next move: one-tap product-name search, a way to add the missing product, and a prominent retry. The barcode stays the fast path; search and contribute are the fallback. Backend work to accept user-submitted products. Shipped — every scan now has a route forward.

Reworded error — still a dead end
no route to the product
77% couldn't complete
Exit interview: 'I can't even do the easy level'
Search + contribute + retry, in the error itself
every failed scan has a way forward
Shipped
First session is winnable by design
Removes shame from starting point

78% of test users couldn't recover from a failed scan without giving up — it was the second most common reason people abandoned the app. With search, contribute and retry on the error screen, a failed scan is a detour, not a wall.

First-session completion improved from 23% to 89% after personalised baseline. Users who started at their own level were measurably more likely to return on day two.

{03} — Discovered in Think Aloud testing

The scanner worked every time. Users had no way of knowing.

They opened the app. They didn't start a session.
One change fixed both.

They opened the app. They didn't start a session.
One change fixed both.

Scanner feedback

/

Option A — a loading spinner after the scan

A circular spinner while the scanner processes, then a brief success message. But this gives feedback after the scan, not during it. The uncertainty happens between pointing the camera and confirming the barcode was detected, and a visual spinner is invisible to a screen reader. Rejected, right intervention, wrong moment.

/

Option B — haptic + auditory + visual confirmation at detection

Three simultaneous signals the moment the barcode is detected: a haptic pulse, a single soft tone (toggleable for public spaces), and the scanner frame shifting from white to green with a confirmation overlay. Redundant by design, each serving a distinct accessibility need, and meeting WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.3. Shipped.

Feedback after the scan, not during
the anxiety gap unchanged
Feedback after the scan, not during
the anxiety gap unchanged
Rejected
Analytics showed 38% of users
Who opened the app navigated away without starting a session
Confirmation at the moment of detection
re-scans 3.2 → 1.1; screen-reader completion 0% → 100%
Confirmation at the moment of detection
re-scans 3.2 → 1.1; screen-reader completion 0% → 100%
Shipped
Reward visible before session starts
Motivation present at the trigger point

3.2 → 1.1

3.2 → 1.1

3.2 → 1.1

re-scan attempts per item after shipping multi-modal confirmation. Screen-reader task completion on the scanner rose from 0% to 100%, and every redesigned screen meets WCAG 2.1 AA.

73%

increase in session start rate when gaming reward was visible before sessions began. Anticipation of reward, not the reward itself, drives behaviour initiation.

FINAL SOLUTION

FINAL SOLUTION

FINAL SOLUTION

The product, annotated

{01} — Scan & verdict

Scan to verdict in two taps; the scan-to-action gap closed.

Nutritional verdict replaces the badgecategory + score + next action

Nutritional verdict replaces the badgecategory + score + next action

Nutritional verdict replaces the badgecategory + score + next action

Nutritional verdict replaces the badgecategory + score + next action

Score, category and a clear 'avoid / swap' signal on one screen

Score, category and a clear 'avoid / swap' signal on one screen

Score, category and a clear 'avoid / swap' signal on one screen

Score, category and a clear 'avoid / swap' signal on one screen

Post-scan action path, the moment the scan-to-action gap closes

Post-scan action path, the moment the scan-to-action gap closes

Post-scan action path, the moment the scan-to-action gap closes

Post-scan action path, the moment the scan-to-action gap closes

Ultra-processed warning shown alongside the score

Ultra-processed warning shown alongside the score

Ultra-processed warning shown alongside the score

Ultra-processed warning shown alongside the score

{02} — Smart Swaps

Healthier alternatives at the moment of decision — not three scrolls away.

Smart Swaps above the fold, immediately after scanning

Smart Swaps above the fold, immediately after scanning

Smart Swaps above the fold, immediately after scanning

Smart Swaps above the fold, immediately after scanning

Each alternative shows the specific nutritional improvement

Each alternative shows the specific nutritional improvement

Each alternative shows the specific nutritional improvement

Each alternative shows the specific nutritional improvement

Side-by-side comparison of the two products

Side-by-side comparison of the two products

Side-by-side comparison of the two products

Side-by-side comparison of the two products

Add a swap to the shopping list in one tap

Add a swap to the shopping list in one tap

Add a swap to the shopping list in one tap

Add a swap to the shopping list in one tap

{03} — Barcode-first entry

Barcode-first, three steps; from 4.2 minutes to 2.5.

Barcode scanner as the primary input, not a buried feature

Barcode scanner as the primary input, not a buried feature

Barcode scanner as the primary input, not a buried feature

Barcode scanner as the primary input, not a buried feature

Nutrition data pre-populated from the scan

Week 3
Progression State Screen

Nutrition data pre-populated from the scan

Nutrition data pre-populated from the scan

Three steps, not seven, one decision per screen

Three steps, not seven, one decision per screen

Three steps, not seven, one decision per screen

Three steps, not seven, one decision per screen

Manual search available as a fallback

Week 12
Mastery State Screen

Manual search available as a fallback

Manual search available as a fallback

{04} — Accessibility & edge cases

Designed for the users the original app couldn't reach.

Scanner feedback state; haptic, auditory and visual at once

Clear pathway
(not permanent setback)

Scanner feedback state; haptic, auditory and visual at once

Scanner feedback state; haptic, auditory and visual at once

Every interactive control has
a screen-reader label

Every interactive control has
a screen-reader label

Every interactive control has
a screen-reader label

Every interactive control has
a screen-reader label

Actionable error state ; not a generic "Product not found"

Actionable error state ; not a generic "Product not found"

Actionable error state ; not a generic "Product not found"

Actionable error state ; not a generic "Product not found"

IMPACT & RESULTS

IMPACT & RESULTS

IMPACT & RESULTS

Faster. Accessible. Used.

40
40
40
40

Feature discovery success rate

Up from 40% in Think Aloud baseline. The behaviour-change feature is now the second tap from the home screen.

Up from 40% in Think Aloud baseline. The behaviour-change feature is now the second tap from the home screen.

0
0
0
0

Screen reader task completion

Screen reader task completion

Screen reader task completion

Screen reader task completion

Up from 0% on the original scanner. Every user can now complete a scan through three simultaneous feedback channels.

0
0
0
0

Reduction in food entry time

From 4.2 minutes to 2.5. The step-4 drop-off, 60% of all abandoned sessions, was eliminated.

Users chose reflection question over monitoring

From 4.2 minutes to 2.5. The step-4 drop-off, 60% of all abandoned sessions, was eliminated.

3.2 → 1.1

3.2 → 1.1

3.2 → 1.1

3.2 → 1.1

Re-scan attempts per item

Re-scan attempts per item

Re-scan attempts per item

Re-scan attempts per item

The scanner always worked. After the redesign, haptic pulse, auditory tone, visual state change, users finally knew it had. Screen-reader completion on the same interaction went from 0% to 100%.

Original — hunt for the next step4.2 min
Scan
Read
Swipe
Look↓ 60% abandoned here
Wrong tab
Back
Search
Redesign — on the result screen2.5 min
Scan
Verdict
Act
Original — hunt for the next step4.2 min
Scan
Read
Swipe
Look↓ 60% abandoned here
Wrong tab
Back
Search
Redesign — on the result screen2.5 min
Scan
Verdict
Act

The three feedback channels, confirmed

The redesign; three simultaneous signals
Redundant by design · WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.3
Haptic
A short pulse confirms the camera has captured the barcode.
For sighted users with hands full, or in a noisy aisle
Auditory
A single soft tone, toggleable for public spaces.
For low-vision users, and anyone not looking at the screen
Visual
The scanner frame shifts white → green with a confirmation overlay.
For deaf users, and users with sound off
The redesign; three simultaneous signals
Redundant by design · WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.3
Haptic
A short pulse confirms the camera has captured the barcode.
For sighted users with hands full, or in a noisy aisle
Auditory
A single soft tone, toggleable for public spaces.
For low-vision users, and anyone not looking at the screen
Visual
The scanner frame shifts white → green with a confirmation overlay.
For deaf users, and users with sound off

The original app scored 2.2 out of 5 on Perceived Value Beyond Labels, whether users could do anything useful with what they scanned. The redesign targeted the exact cause: not data quality, not scanning speed, but the absence of any guidance architecture between the scan and the decision. Each metric above measures one gap closed.

The original app scored 2.2 out of 5 on Perceived Value Beyond Labels, whether users could do anything useful with what they scanned. The redesign targeted the exact cause: not data quality, not scanning speed, but the absence of any guidance architecture between the scan and the decision. Each metric above measures one gap closed.

The original app scored 2.2 out of 5 on Perceived Value Beyond Labels, whether users could do anything useful with what they scanned. The redesign targeted the exact cause: not data quality, not scanning speed, but the absence of any guidance architecture between the scan and the decision. Each metric above measures one gap closed.

— From the evaluation conclusion

Users chose reflection question over monitoring

— From the evaluation conclusion

Lets

design

build

create

Something Impactful